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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. rest — a break
  3. rest — what's left
  4. club — for golf
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. stock — goods
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. club — for dancing
  9. saw — the tool
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. rush — hurry
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. stock — shares
  15. last — finally
  16. club — a group
  17. last — final
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. saw — the tool
  23. last — to go on
  24. rest — what's left

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com